United legend set to join Chelsea?

Reports in the press are claiming that Mark 'Sparky' Hughes is in the frame to replace Avram Grant at Chelsea. If we are to believe the stories on the vacant manager's position there's only four big names who are being seriously considered; Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Didier Deschamps. Out of the list of potential candidates only Hughes and Scolari are currently employed following the news that Inter Milan sacked Mancini earlier this week.

One theory that is being bandied around by the media is that Peter Kenyon is backing Hughes to become the next Chelsea manager, you can imagine why that might be the case.

The West London club have had three managers' so far in the Abramovich era; Claudio Ranieri the infamous "tinkerman", the media darling and cocky Jose Mourinho and then Avram Grant who was the exact opposite of his predecessor - the Israeli coach was on a loser from day one, he would have been sacked even if Chelsea had won the Champions League.

So you can sort of understand why Kenyon might be backing Hughes who has many qualities, he gets on with it quietly, he's known to be quite hard when the need arises and he doesn't go blabbing to press every five minutes. However, Hughes lack of managerial experience in Europe could count against him.

The Welshman is of course a former Blues player and he's currently managing Blackburn Rovers, but there's a world of difference between his current situation and the one he'd be walking into at Stamford Bridge should he accept the job if offered.

For a start, as far as the first team is concerned Hughes has total control at Ewood Park, that wouldn't be the case at the Bridge with owner Roman Abramovich interjecting with his own views on the style of play and on player acquisitions plus selection issues.

There's an argument which suggests that Hughes would be mad to give up his current job where all things being equal he could stay for a very long time. Why give up the security of the Blackburn job for the none-stop media scrutiny and pressure that comes with the Chelsea position? The answer to that is simple, the big jobs don't come around that often and Hughes may feel that now is the right time to move up to the next level.

Hughes might well have is eye on replacing Ferguson at United, but there's no guarantees that he'd be offered the job. My own gut feeling is that Hughes would jump at the chance to become the next Chelsea manager, but I also believe that he might live to regret it should he be appointed. Sam Allardyce took the Newcastle United job to better himself, he was out on his ear not long after and hasn't worked since.